Agenda

Station Nord Session

This research project aims both to; (1) quantify the air-sea CO2 flux within the North Water (NOW) Polynya region, and (2) identify those major regional features that give rise to the observed exchange rate. Polynya regions represent excellent areas to study the controls on air-sea gas exchange, as physical and biogeochemical processes are all amplified in these regions. For instance, the NOW Polynya has been identified as one of the most productive regions within the world’s oceans, and is affected by the growth/decay of large expanses of first-year sea ice each year.

The overall aim is to understand causes for regional differences in the carbonate system of seawater across the Canadian sectors of the Arctic Ocean.  Subprojects are in place to explore fundamental controls over the air-sea CO2 flux, and production and emission of DMS. We will examine to what extent fresh water, mixing, sea ice, surface micro-layers influences the surface flux of carbon and DMS. Observations support the development of parameterizations for models across a variety of spatial scales.

Using in situ observations of ice drift, surface winds and ocean currents we analyze how ice drift and forcing change as the icepack progresses from free drift in summer to restricted motion in a consolidated icepack. As fall progresses the icepack becomes more extensive, concentrated, thicker and stronger. Collectively these factors increase the mechanical strength of the ice pack, which increases the internal stresses that oppose motion and dampen the ice packs response to external forcing mechanisms.

The purpose of the ozonesonde programme is to i) investigate ozonesonde profiles for varying ice conditions in the summertime Arctic and ii) determine the vertical structure of the atmospheric boundary layer and its influence on dispersion of shipping emissions, in collaboration with the NETCARE campaign.

Fieldwork site: Resolute Bay (ozonosonde measurements); CCGS Amundsen (ozone analyser)

PI: D.Barber

Project Lead: J. Lukovich

Samples collected will support research in two areas:

Previous studies have shown that intense storms with strong winds will break-up the ice pack (Screen et al., 2011; Long and Perrie, 2012; Asplin et al., 2012), while accounts of the record minimum in the September 2012 sea ice extent attribute the loss to mechanical weakening and melting of an already thin sea ice cover due to strong winds (NSIDC, 2012b, Simmonds and Rudeva, 2012). In order to accurately predict the movement of sea ice and ice break-up accurate estimates of surface winds are needed.

In this project we will collect C-band scatterometer data from the snow-covered first-year sea ice in Cambridge Bay in April and May 2014 fo the purpose of understanding the role of snow thickness on microwave backscatter as a function of changing snow dielectric properties due to diurnal and seasonal temperature changes. The instrument will be mounted on a komitik and moved to various snow thickness classes on smooth FYI during the winter to spring transition. The scatterometer measurements will be accompanied by physical sampling of the snow and ice.